Lesson Plan Title : Planning a Medieval Feast
Age Range: Grade 6 through Grade 8 (Middle School)
Overview and Purpose: Medieval feasts were elaborate social affairs that required a lot of preparation. Such an event involved planning a menu/entertainment, preparing the food, deciding what to wear, and sending out invitations. On occasion, a king would stop to rest at a lord's estate during a long journey. This meant that the lord was expected to give the king a great feast that would satisfy the king and his travelers. This lesson will help familiarize students with one of the social aspects of the Middle Ages.
Objective: The student will be able to plan a medieval feast for a king.
Resources:
Internet access for students
Variety of props and materials needed to make the items for the feast and entertainment
Activities:
This is a multi-day project and can be done either as a mock-up or as a real event. This lesson can be as involved as you have time for.
Break the students into groups. Have one group plan each of the following categories: main meal, desserts, entertainment, appropriate dress, guests, table settings and seating. (The groups can be further broken down if you want.)
They should research the types of food, clothes, or entertainment from the time period and develop a mock up for the evening. The groups can present their plans to the class and then they can all decide on the order of events.
If you are having the whole feast consider who the students would like to invite as the king (or queen). Will parents be invited? You could send a sheet home explaining what is happening and ask for donations of food for the feast (or have students sign-up to bring some in.)
After the feast, have students discuss what they liked and did not like and if they would do anything differently.
Wrap Up:
As an extension of this lesson, you could have the students vote on, and award prizes for: best costume, best dish, best juggler, etc...